This invention relates to the field of building construction tools and in particular to tools for cutting predetermined shapes into interior dry-wall and masonary wall and ceiling panels.
In the interior building construction industry, when finishing the interior walls, it is customary to cover the interior walls with a smooth flat surface such as a masonary or dry-wall panel or board. When mounting such panels, it is necessary to cut holes in the panels in order to provide openings for various wall fixtures such as electrical wall outlets or switches.
As presently practiced, the crew mounting the panels will ordinarily measure the position of the fixture as positioned on the wall or ceiling. The crew will then measure the panel, marking it where the outlet fixture should pass through the panel. The crew will then use a conventional cutting tool such as a hacksaw to cut the appropriately shaped opening in the panel. The panel is then attached to the wall or ceiling. Ideally, the opening for the fixture is correctly positioned.
However, for a number of reasons, the hole cut in the panel may not match the exact position of the outlet on the wall or ceiling. Errors such as mis-measurement of the exact position of the wall outlet itself, mis-measurement of the panel, or incorrect cutting of the panel itself, often results in a mis-alignment of the opening cut in the panel with respect to the wall fixture.
When this occurs, if the error is minor, the crew can manually cut and shape the opening so as to clearly and fully expose the fixture. The extra, exposed, area can be patched over. However, if the cut is too far out of alignment, the panel may not be useable. The above described procedure can provide for misaligned holes which can be expensive to repair and cn also cause additional problems in properly aligning the panels with respect to one another. Additionally, it can take significant time to precisely measure and cut the holes in the panels.
To date, the only solution readily available has been to simply use special care in measuring and cutting the opening to be made in the panel. What is needed then is an apparatus and method for rapidly and precisely cutting holes for wall and ceiling fixtures in dry-wall and masonary panels.
The present invention provides just such an apparatus and method.
It is an object of this invention to provide a means for precisely cutting predetermined shapes in dry wall and masonary panels.
It is another object of this invention to provide a means for rapidly and precisely cutting predetermined shapes in dry wall and masonary panels.